Diet review/critique?

[wizarddeath]

Stats:
29
5'11''
190(ish) lbs
15.7 % BF(Test done via Skin fold) however, I look more like the 20% pics. All my weight seems to be held around my abs.....
I am on TRT(only 5 weeks in so not totally natty, I guess?)

I have never really cut, I have always bulked, or tried to bulk. My goal is to get to 210 with 10% BF. I was going to go about going up to 220 at my lean gains pace, but have decided I want to cut down to 11% or so. I am going to he beach in little over a month, and my fiancee said "You look fat, strong but fat".... Didn't sit well with me going to the beach. I am hard gainer/ecto, so its really hard for me to put on weight. It has taken me 4 years to put on 40 lbs of muscle, where keeping/losing some BF%. I have always tried to stay sub 15% BF, and plan on it now as well to help with the TRT results, and possibly if I want to do any other AAS cycles.

I just got out of a bulk, and was 195 and was at 16.9%, so have shed a little bit of weight the last week I have been doing this. Anywhere here is my diet and work out plan....


Work out plan:
Weights 4 days a week(days vary, depending on schedule) - I am doing heavy weight, not going to failure but pretty damn close. 4 sets of 8-10 and 3-4 exercises per group
Chest/tri/calfs(10 of light cardio, burning around 70 calories)
Legs/abs(10 of light cardio, burning around 70 calories)
Back/biceps/calfs(10 of light cardio, burning around 70 calories)
Shoulders/abs(10 of light cardio, burning around 70 calories)
Rest(Cardio session of 350 Cals, so about 38 minutes)
Full body(Dead lifts, pull ups, clean and jerks, squats), followed by a 350 calorie cardio session
Rest day AKA house cleaning day

Diet plan looks like this - total of 2029 calories, 52g fat, 143 carbs, 242 protein...... carbs to high? This is daily minus sunday, in which I cut out the PWO.....About 2 gallons of water
Breakfast(Chobani, whey shake)
260 Calories, 1g fat, 25g carbs, 38g protein

Snack1(chicken & 1/4 cup rice)
369.5 calories, 5.5g fat, 36g carb, 43g protein

PWO
240 calories, 2g fat, 6g carb, 48g protein

Snack2(chicken & rice)
369.5 calories, 5.5g fat, 36g carb, 43g protein

almonds - 170calories, 15g fat, 5g carbs, 6g protein

dinner - I fit macros, so tuna or other stuff(carbs shouldnt be bad here since im still within macros I think...)
500 calories, 18g fat, 30g carbs, 50g protein

Prebed(1/2 cup cottage chese)
120 calories, 5g fat, 5g carb, 14g protein

[Back In Black]

If you are a 'hard gainer' then your priority should be to preserve as much LBM as possible when you cut and your fat loss should be done slowly.

I think you are hittin way too much of a deficit to retain all your LBM. You have to decide which is more important,am severe calorie deficit, which might result in substantial weight loss but that will like.y include LBM. Or take a lower deficit and maybe lose less fat bit also lose less, if any, LBM.

I reckon your maintenance is closer to 3000cals which means you are taking nearly a 1000 deficit. I'd be hitting 2500 cals if I were you and switch your cardio to do 4-5 post lifting sessions lasting 30-40 minutes each. You can take your fats up by 10g and add the rest from carbs.

[wizarddeath]

I was actually going over some of my BMR/Activity levels, and kept coming up to 2500 as well, but wasn't sure if that was right. With someone else weighing in on it, I am pretty sure your right. I would love to be cut, but I hate the way you look if your to small and cut, it seems like a waste.

I am going to switch at the end of this week, cause like you said, I am already feeling much weaker on leg day for sure. My deads have gone down by about 40 lbs in 2 weeks so. Since I can't take so much at lunch, I may do lifting at lunch and then cardio at night.

Thanks for the help!

[Back In Black]

I was actually going over some of my BMR/Activity levels, and kept coming up to 2500 as well, but wasn't sure if that was right. With someone else weighing in on it, I am pretty sure your right. I would love to be cut, but I hate the way you look if your to small and cut, it seems like a waste.

I am going to switch at the end of this week, cause like you said, I am already feeling much weaker on leg day for sure. My deads have gone down by about 40 lbs in 2 weeks so. Since I can't take so much at lunch, I may do lifting at lunch and then cardio at night.

Thanks for the help!

NP mate. Strength loss is a big sign of not eating enough. Or in my case not enough sleep.

Anyway, abs on a skinny bloke are like tits on a fat lass. Apparently

[wizarddeath]

BIB,

Do you think its possible to recomp at 1k calorie deficit? I am new to TRT, this is 7 week(past thursday.) 2 weeks ago(right when I switched from a bulk(194) to a cut. I am at 186(right where I was on Monday.) The only lifts that suffered so far are my deads and clean and jerks. My deads I think are cause of form change, and hand grip strength. Clean and Jerk, I guess cause I am 6 lbs(some water weight) down so momentum isn't there anymore.

I started TRT at 110 mgs and then got up'd to 130 mgs. I am not losing size really, just leaning out but weight isn't moving so curious.

[Back In Black]

BIB,

Do you think its possible to recomp at 1k calorie deficit? I am new to TRT, this is 7 week(past thursday.) 2 weeks ago(right when I switched from a bulk(194) to a cut. I am at 186(right where I was on Monday.) The only lifts that suffered so far are my deads and clean and jerks. My deads I think are cause of form change, and hand grip strength. Clean and Jerk, I guess cause I am 6 lbs(some water weight) down so momentum isn't there anymore.

I started TRT at 110 mgs and then got up'd to 130 mgs. I am not losing size really, just leaning out but weight isn't moving so curious.

It's impossible to answer really Wizard. The inclusion of AAS into a cut normally means you can cut at a much higher deficit of calories but its unlikely your 130mg will enable a recomp at that deficit. In fact, I would normally recommend a recomp be done not very far away from maintenance calories. Staying the same weight is the goal so calorie so need to be pretty much the same.

When trying to cut bodyfat the main thing you should aim for is maintaining your LBM, it's difficult to increase on a natural cut. Your TRT is just bringing you to the level where you should be naturally, remember.

Your weight loss so far has been good, you don't want more than 3lbs a week for the first few weeks and then, ideally, that should drop to 1-2lbs a week to try and ensure you maintain your LBM. I'm a little surprised your strength has dropped already though, sure you didn't just have an off session? Maybe lack of sleep or something?